Bison Look To Snap Three-Game Slide

Houston, TX--The growth and development of the young Howard University men's basketball team continues on Thursday when the Bison take on the Cougars of the University of Houston in Hofheinz Pavilion at 8 pm. It is part of the Progressive Legends Classic.

Howard (2-3) is coming off an 82-54 road loss to Pitt on Sunday. As in the previous three losses, the Bison fell behind early and had to play catch up against some talented and experiences teams in Pitt, Harvard and ODU.

"It is important that we get off to a faster start," said Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry, in his fourth season at the helm.
"We have to be able to withstand early runs and we cannot get intimidated by the crowds."

Despite the large halftime deficits, the Bison, who have nine new players on the roster, have continued to play hard and not quit in the face of adversity.

In the Cougars (4-0), the Bison face a talented team that poses a different type of a challenge.

"They are extremely athletic, probably the most physically talented team we will face" says Nickelberry. "Four of their starters were ranked in the Top 100. We have to make an adjustment to their style of play which is getting up and down the court. We cannot let them get into a comfort zone."

There have been some constants that Howard should be able to build on. Freshman guard James Daniel has been the team's most consistent scorer, averaging over 21 points per game. The sharpshooter from Hampton, VA, is shooting 47 percent from three-point range.

Prince Okoroh, the lone starter from last year, has provided some scoring and defense. The 6-5 junior forward is averaging 10.4 points and 5 rebounds and he leads the team in steals with 12. He has also picked up 6 blocks.

Red-shirt sophomore Oliver Ellison has been effective on the boards for the Bison as he leads the team with 5 per game to go along with 10 blocks. Freshmen Solomon Mangham (5.6 points, 3.2 rebounds), Tyler Stone (3.6 points, 3.8 rebounds), Marcel Boyd (5.0 points, 4.6 rebounds) and Ausar Madison (16 assists) have all contributed and began to show improvement.

"When you have a very young team like this, you have to make sure that they focus on the game at hand," says Nickelberry. "They have to ignore the fact that we are on the road and that we have two more games coming up in the next four days. It is all about their improving from game to game."

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